In Time
by metalanddust
Summary: Something mysteriously happens to Red and he goes back in time to be a sexy and younger version of himself again, leaving Liz struggling to cope with what happened. How will they deal with this? And how can Liz make sure its a secret just between them, when everyone demands him to be around? RedxLiz romance.


Liz woke abruptly from a good night's sleep, wondering why she woke so quickly. It was Winter and she felt like all she wanted to do was stay in bed wrapped in the toasty sheets all month-long to keep warm from the cold. Then she heard her phone ringing and vibrating from where it was on the bedside table. Her heart surged as she looked at the illuminated digital numbers on her alarm clock. It was two a.m in the morning and she had to be up and ready for work in eight hours. She leaned over and picked up her phone, answering it.

The caller wasn't anyone she was expecting to hear from at this late hour.

"Lizzie?"

It was Red, and his voice was uncharacteristically urgent. Liz had never heard him sound so fearful before, so it must have been serious.

"Red?" she whispered tiredly. "What are you doing calling me at this hour?"

"I need your help. I'm sorry that I woke you, but there is really no one else to call."

"What's happened?"

"I need you to come pick me up. I'm stuck down in the Ballston parking garage, no clothes, absolutely confused and freezing."

Now Liz was wide awake and confused. "Your what?"

"Once you get here, I'll explain everything as much as I can. It's fifteen degrees below zero , and, as you can probably imagine, without any clothes on..."

"- Yeah, I get it. I'm coming. I'll bring you some of... Tom's old clothes that you can wear."

She jumped out of bed and threw on yesterday's clothes before raiding the closet and pulling out a pair of Tom's old jeans, a shirt, and one of his leather jackets. She knew they probably wouldn't have fit Red, or would have been up to his standards in clothing, but... what other choice did she have?

Liz pulled on her own plum colored, padded Winter's coat, some gloves, and flew out the door to start the car. The ground was slick and wet, and sheets of snow covered it two inches on the cement. Her heart clenched in pity as she wondered how Red was faring without any clothes on in this horrible, arctic weather they were having.

She had no idea what Red was going through, but ending up naked and confused in a parking garage... The entire situation was strange.

She pulled out of the driveway slowly and turned on the heater in the car to warm it up for him in advance. Through the glare of the headlights, the streets were white and obscured with snow but she managed to find her way without too much trouble. Everywhere she looked through the condensation rolling down the windows, the streets looked deserted and strangely empty at this hour. As she reached the garage where Red said he was, she halted the car and quickly redialed the number he had used to call her from.

It took him only a second to answer. "Lizzie, are you here yet?" Just hearing his strained voice, she knew how cold he was and it made her feel freezing in turn. She could hear his teeth chattering on the other line.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm outside the parking garage. Whereabouts are you?"

"There is a payphone inside right near the entrance." There was a significant pause, where Red sniffled loudly. "Thank you for this. You're all I have."

"Don't mention it. I'm coming through now."

She hung up and cruised slowly into the garage, looking around. She found the payphone to the left of the area, and she reached behind her to grab the clothes of Tom's that she had retrieved for him. The garage was virtually empty, aside from a few cars here and there. At first, she couldn't see Reddington anywhere. He wasn't hanging around near the payphone. She peered through the fogged windscreen and felt her heart pounding in her chest. He was... nowhere to be seen.

Someone jumped into view out of the corner of her eye and she startled when the door to the passenger's side was jerked open. She caught a flash of pale, naked skin as he scrambled into the seat of her car, and her heart surged with relief. He closed the door on himself and she caught the movement out of the corner of her eye as he rubbed his hands together, cupped them, and blew on them loudly for some warmth as he shivered violently in the seat.

"Thank God," she breathed, thrusting the clothes at him. "I thought for a moment there that I wouldn't be able to find you. What happened to you?"

"That's a _very_ good question. I've been stuck freezing my ass off here for the past twenty-five minutes," he complained, his breathing labored. "I can't even feel my toes or my fingers. I have _no idea_ in the world what happened to me or how it is that I came to be here."

Liz made sure she kept her eyes forward as Red struggled to pull the clothes of Tom's she had given him on in the seat. It was only when she saw out of the corner of her eye that he was dressed completely and no flash of skin was in sight that she dared to look at him. What she saw had her stunned and speechless.

Here, was Raymond Reddington, except not the one she knew and saw almost every day. He was fresh-faced, young, with light brown hair and stubble around his chin. His cheeks were flushed and pink from the cold. He was Red, but only a much younger version of himself. Probably a Red in his early thirties, Liz estimated. Tom's clothes fit him perfectly and because of the new age, they suited him well. She must have looked at him strangely, because he suddenly looked around the front of the car, glancing around them in the near empty parking garage, paranoid that someone bad was there waiting in the shadows.

He raised his eyebrows at her and she saw the left side of his mouth twitch. At least although younger in appearance, he still had those mannerisms the Raymond Reddington she was used to had. "What is it?" His voice was milder, less deep. Young.

Liz could hardly believe this was the same man she met with daily, in different locations, where he informed her of their next targets on the Blacklist. This was the same man who had grown up to be one of the world's most wanted criminals, the Concierge of Crime. The last time she had met him with him, he was playing chess contentedly with Dembe. Seeing how young and respectable he looked in appearance, it was hard to come to terms with that this same person would grow up to be a fugitive.

"Have you seen yourself recently?" Liz asked, her voice shaking.

"No. Why? What do you mean?"

"God, what is this? You really don't know?"

"Know what, Lizzie?" He shot back at her in irritation. It became clear to her that he really didn't know or understand anything.

Liz felt as if it was a strange dream, one she wasn't sure she believed was real. Reaching up, she grabbed hold of the rear view mirror between their seats and pushed it in his direction. "Is this a joke?"

Still trembling from the cold, Red leaned up to peer at his reflection in the mirror. His loud intake of breath and the outburst of shock and surprise that he made was telling enough that he had no idea of what was happening himself.


End file.
